Diversity at DLA Piper Australia

DLA Piper has a number of initiatives and focus groups regarding minority groups in Australian and around the world.

Within each office for DLA Piper, there are dedicated committees involved with the promotion of matters concerning women, LGBT minorities and indigenous Australians.

The firm has a big focus on inclusion and creating a culture of belonging. We have a number of active networks including gender balance which is the Leadership Alliance for Woman and Iris which is our international network for LGBT+ individuals and allies. Our new WorkSmart policy provides increased flexibility and allows anyone in the firm to work from home which can assist with child care and part time arrangements.

The firm actively promotes diversity within its ranks. There are committees at the firm that promote the inclusion of LGBTQIA persons, women, and ethnic minorities. These committees are sponsored by partners who sit on the international board. As such, the focus on diversity and inclusion is present in recruiting and in how the firm interacts with its employees.

I see many groups being represented at lower levels but not so much in positions of higher management

I have not had a lot of personal experience with these aspects of the firm, but from what I have observed and heard about I think the firm does well in these respects.

At the junior level there is a lot of diversity, the more senior you go the less diversity there is. The firm seems to be making more commitments to reducing the gender disparity at the top. The firm needs to do more to increase the cultural diversity amongst partners.

DLA Piper teams up with not for profits and educations institutions to offer internships and clerkships to those from less privileged backgrounds.

We have partnered with a number of organisations that assist our recruitment process with attracting applicants from less privileged backgrounds. Specifically we have partnered with My Plus Consulting that provides career supports for disabled students.

The firm advertises itself to people from many different backgrounds. This is done by promoting the firm to students from many different universities and encouraging the lateral recruitment of persons from varying backgrounds and experiences.

CareerTrackers programme commitment